Leigh Park shop burglar stole up to £800 from till at convenience store

By Ben Fishwick
Published 17th Apr 2020, 13:22 BST
Updated 17th Apr 2020, 16:28 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now
A BURGLAR who stole hundreds of pounds from a shop has been spared jail.

Ricky Shields, 41, took between £700 and 800 from the Post Office area at Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, last week.

He was caught on CCTV, arrested and in court admitted burgling the store at around 7pm and was handed a six-month jail term suspended for a year – and banned from the store for a year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shop owner Bhavi Patel said Shields had ‘no shame’ and has seen him in the area since he was sentenced at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Ricky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi PatelRicky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi Patel
Ricky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi Patel

Mrs Patel told The News: ‘He should not be out at all – he should be in (prison).

‘He’s got no shame on him, if it was me I wouldn’t go round the same places.

‘He needs to be staying in prison.'

Read More
Security firm Vespasian vows to do 'whatever it can' to protect Portsmouth firms...
Ricky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi PatelRicky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi Patel
Ricky Shields, 41, of Greywell Road, Leigh, Park caught on CCTV when he stole between £700-800 from Elly’s Convenience Store in Park Parade, Leigh Park, on April 6 at around 7pm. Picture: Bhavi Patel

Shields was able to steal the cash on April 6 in a moment the cash was unguarded, she added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mrs Patel said: ‘It’s not a great thing to do - we’ve got many customers, it's more likely that all of them are loyal.

‘It's rare that this happens.’

Shields, of Greywell Road, Leigh Park, was on licence when he stole the cash. He must now complete a four-month electronically-tagged curfew between 9pm-5am.

District judge Gary Lucie ordered him to pay £700 compensation and a £122 victim surcharge.

Shields has a previous record.

Mrs Patel said business was doing well despite the coronavirus lockdown but the store has reduced its opening hours.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.